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Every Black History Month, we have the opportunity to honor our country’s past and celebrate the possibilities for a more just future. On February 9, 2022, we launched our first partner-backed Black History Month campaign to rally resources for Black teachers, Black students, and learning environments that illuminate Black experiences throughout history and today. 

We saw so many beautiful moments of joy, celebration, and learning throughout the day. We hope you’ll dive into our five favorite moments from our Black History Month campaign!

Our community funded more than 4,273 projects

We’re so impressed by all the classroom dreams brought to life! Teachers’ ideas inspired more than 8,700 donors to give. Ms. Young, an early childhood teacher from Michigan, shared what the funding means for her class.

“My amazing class of Black students should be able to see themselves reflected in the books that they read and the stories that they hear. I desire to have my students grow as readers but also hear them say the magical words, ‘That book looks like me.’”

Celebrities cheered on Black educators and students

Yvette Nicole Brown and Angie Thomas are two long-time supporters of DonorsChoose teachers, and shared words of encouragement to teachers and students.

Companies, foundations, and philanthropists created a coalition of support

Nine of our funders teamed up to fund this first of its kind match and reach as many classrooms as possible. Funders included Nic Stone, W. Kamau Bell, Yvette Nicole Brown, Amanda Seales, Smart Funny & Black, Amazon Business, Angie Thomas, OshKoshB’Gosh, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Davidson Kempner, Equitable Foundation, PwC, Chegg.org, Kellogg's Mission Tiger, LOFT, and Ulta Beauty. 

We’re so grateful for their support!

MahoganyBooks left a surprise message for our Teacher Faceboook Community

Ramuda Young, co owner and founder of MahoganyBooks, shared a message of support to teachers in our Facebook Community.

Teachers shared what this match meant to them

We believe it’s always a good time to move the equity needle and make it possible for students to see themselves in their resources and learning environments. Let's keep the momentum going! 

Donors: support a teacher seeking resources that support Racial Justice and Representation in the classroom.

Teachers: request resources that will help your students thrive.

"All it takes is one teacher to change the trajectory of a student's life forever. For Anna Oge, a science teacher and dance instructor at North Miami Senior High school, teaching is not just a profession. It's a calling. Inspired by the teachers of her own youth, Oge recently shared in a Good Morning America segment that she wants her students to have everything that she received from her teachers when she was growing up, and more. Oge who has taught at North Miami Senior High School since 2010, is a prime example of the powerful, positive impact that teachers can have on their students." Read the full story on parents.com.

Frontline teachers know best what their students need to recover from COVID-19 disrupted learning. By partnering with DonorsChoose, state education departments can efficiently offer every public school teacher in their state the chance to receive the learning resources that their students need to get back to normal during the 2021-2022 school year. Education leaders in Delaware, Hawai’i, Nevada, Utah, and Oklahoma are paving the way for these state-wide initiatives, and have already created incredible impact across classrooms.Interested in learning more about how your state DOE could work with DonorsChoose? Connect with Ali Rosen, our Head of Foundation Giving at DonorsChoose.org/State-Leaders to learn more.

Delaware

In 2020, County Executive Matt Meyer, a former public school teacher, came to DonorsChoose with the idea of directly funding teachers’ projects with pandemic relief funds. In 2021, he dedicated $1.3 million in CARES Act funding to fund classroom projects from more than 1 in 5 teachers across Delaware.

• 1,617 teachers with projects funded
• $1.3 million in CARES Act funding deployed
• 6 weeks from announcement to funding allocated

Nevada

Nevada DOE was the first state department of education to channel federal relief money through DonorsChoose, launching their campaign in 2021. They dedicated $8 million, and more than half of the teachers in Nevada participated in this initiative.

Hawai’i

The Hawai’i DOE used their own funds to support teachers through DonorsChoose. Instead of tapping into pandemic relief funding, they launched a $3 million public-private partnership Salesforce Chair & Co-CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne. Because so many teachers were enthusiastic about this partnership, Hawaii dedicated $1.5 million, and the Benioffs, who have strong ties to the islands, gave $1.5 million to match funding from the state.

• 1,960 teachers with projects funded
• $1.6 million in funding deployed
• 4 weeks from announcement to funding allocated

Utah

The Utah State Board of Education allocated $12 million in federal relief funding to champion the efforts of teachers to support the various needs of Utah’s K-12 students and find creative ways to address the impacts of COVID-19 on learning. With this investment, 12,000+ Utah educators will receive up to $1,000 in funding to support their classroom projects.

Oklahoma

Starting on February 4, the Oklahoma State Department of Education will apply up to funding to Oklahoma classroom teachers’ projects requesting resources to support students in response to COVID-19.

‍DonorsChoose District Partnerships‍

Dozens of Local Education Associations (LEAs) have partnered with DonorsChoose at the district level to help their teachers and colleagues leverage DonorsChoose more effectively. By joining our no-cost District Partnership Program, district leaders receive exclusive benefits, including early notification of funding opportunities from corporate donors, technology guidelines, and robust reporting to monitor trends in the resources teachers are requesting. To join, complete the brief form and a member of the DonorsChoose team will reach out to you with next steps.

"'GMA' surprises North Miami Senior High School science teacher Anna Ogé, who also instructs the school's dance team." Watch the full story on goodmorningamerica.com.

"Robin Palomares, a teacher in Baltimore, goes above and beyond for students who don’t have the tools they need for their education." Watch the full story on goodmorningamerica.com.

"Donny Carswell of Glenn Hills High School in Augusta, Georgia, goes above and beyond for his students by helping them run their very own morning show." Watch the full story on goodmorningamerica.com.

With even the normal winter blues taking a backseat to the Omicron surge, it’s an especially challenging time to go back to the classroom. The Monday morning bell is ringing a little louder, though, for the classrooms that had a DonorsChoose project funded during December. Thanks to more than 185,000 generous donors and partners, more than 58,000 teachers received a holiday season donation, for a total of $16 million in classroom giving. Every one of those gifts will make a difference for students in the coming weeks, including the students on the receiving end of these five especially heartwarming projects:

“Raise their faces to the sky”

Warm Hands and Hearts!
Ms. Rymer, Grades 3-5, New York

Materials fully funded:

• 112 pairs of colorful, warm winter gloves
• 108 winter beanies in assorted bright colors

“My students bring amazing resilience and determination to learn every day. They come from all over the world: Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Cambodia, West Africa, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Bolivia, Vietnam, Mexico, and Yemen. My students are pioneering our new Advanced Literacies curricula in the Bronx. I am proud of them all. 

Many of my students come from warm weather countries. They often are poorly equipped for New York winters. Please help me keep their little hands and heads warm! This will help not only my English language learners, but also their classmates who live in temporary housing.

With gloved hands, they can make snowmen. With caps on their heads, they can raise their faces to the sky and catch snowflakes on their tongues. Together, we can make their winter (for some their first real winter) a wonderful and magical time.”

Brrr! It's cold outside! My students PLUS 60 students in temporary housing are a little better prepared for winter's chill. With your help, we distributed over 100 pairs of gloves and hats. Red gloves! Pink gloves! Orange and yellow gloves! Delivered and distributed to happy kids on December 23rd. On Friday, some of my students were able to play in the snow for the 1st time.

Thank you for keeping their lovely noggins and small fingers warm. May your warm hearts keep winter's chill at the door.

With gratitude,

Ms. Rymer

This project was funded with generous support from Clorox, in support of all the teachers who stretched their talent in creative, imaginative ways this past year, going above and beyond. 

See what kinds of projects DonorsChoose partners are funding today.

“The dignity of my students is paramount”

Pledge to be a Provision Pantry Partner
Mrs. Mercer, Grades 9-12, Oklahoma

Materials fully funded:

• Reusable heavy duty grocery bags
• Feminine hygiene products
• Plastic hangers
• Gel pens
• Mechanical pencils
• Adhesive bandages

“Our school is a Title I institution located in downtown Oklahoma City. Our students often have challenging home situations, are experiencing or have experienced homelessness, are involved with the justice system, or are just trying to "make it" on a daily basis. These difficulties often prevent them from attending traditional school and fully focusing on their education.

This project will help me to organize our brand new Food and Resource Pantry while empowering students to utilize it as the awesome resource it is. The pantry supplies our students with food, toiletries, feminine care products, school supplies, and any other needs that arise!

The dignity of my students is paramount in my mind when thinking about how to serve them best. I believe that this project will organize the pantry in such a way as to allow my students to have more autonomy and ownership. Ideally, students will take on leadership roles in keeping the pantry stocked, assisting others in "shopping" if requested, and helping me ensure that their basic needs are met so that they can focus on their schooling...and being the awesome teenagers that they are.”

Many of our families lack the funds to purchase food, school supplies, and basic hygiene items. These items are things that most of us take for granted in our everyday life, but my students need them to be alert, prepared, and to feel clean and good about themselves. Students who have poor hygiene don't perform as well at school, and can be subject to bullying, self-harm, and even more dire circumstances.

With gratitude,

Mrs. Mercer

This project was funded with generous support from Center for Disaster Philanthropy, in support of communities that are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

See what kinds of projects DonorsChoose partners are funding today.

“It brings my art alive!”

Creating Calm for Kids
Ms. Brinkman, Grades 3-5, Arizona

Materials fully funded:

• Scratch Art Rainbow Mini Notes
• Drawing Paper
• 100 Color Glitter Pen Set
• Essential Oil Diffuser with 7 Color Lights
• Glitter crayons
• Glitter markers

“I am currently a third-grade teacher to amazing students in a low-income community. Our students recently returned to campus for in-person learning, and I am noticing a need for items promoting positive well-being and healthy minds. I am seeking materials that they can use to bring them to a state of happiness, calm, and peace. Students have been through many challenges this year and the need for creating a safe and calm classroom environment is crucial for student success. I am wanting the following things that will help motivate and bring them to a positive state of mind such as: a diffuser to create appealing aromas in the classroom and various art supplies for them to have the space for creating artwork when using our classroom Calm Corner. Art has been shown to help students heal from trauma and I feel these materials will best serve this purpose for our diverse learners.

My students are LOVING their new resources! The most popular item would be the glitter gel pens; they are kept safely in the Calm Corner with the other art supplies. The blue and gold are the most popular ones used, as they are our school colors! I really enjoy seeing students use the pens to write positive notes to one another or to create a special piece of art. One of my students recently said, "It brings my art alive!."

When Amazon boxes show up in the classroom, the class knows that someone has contributed to our community! They are very aware of new items that show up. They were very excited and we opened it as a class like we usually do. My favorite part is when they share their news with family members and tell about how kindness impacts the community. I often get positive feedback from parents about how the materials positively impact their children.

With gratitude,

Ms. Brinkman

“Open a new book and love literacy!”

Promoting Love of Literacy
Mrs. Gorman, Grades PreK-2, Hartford, CT

Books fully funded:

• I am Enough
• Ambitious Girl
• Change Sings
• I Believe I Can
• Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to my Daughters
• Hair Love
• Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO

“My beautiful and capable students need additional opportunities to engage with quality texts. The impact of the pandemic is significant. The pandemic widened preexisting achievement gaps, hitting disadvantaged students the hardest. Many students are now one to two years behind in their literacy skills. I want to spark my students' interest in books by providing them with high-interest books for the classroom and to take home and read with their families. When scholars engage with quality texts, they will begin to love reading. This will help to close the achievement gap and unfinished learning due to the pandemic.”

This is a dream come true to have new books for my students! I selected multicultural, exciting, and engaging titles such as I Believe I Can, Hair Love, Sports Talk by Scholastic News, Scholastic News Biographies and more! I can't tell you how excited I am to share them with students so they can enjoy reading and experience how great it is to open a new book and love literacy!

With gratitude,

Mrs. Gorman

“Giving them back the joy of recess”

Stay Warm & Play Hard
Ms. Beaulieu, Grades PreK-2, North Carolina

Materials fully funded:

• 24 cold weather hats
• 6 sweatshirts
• 32 pairs of winter gloves

“Kids deserve to be kids. They deserve to play and laugh and enjoy the simple things in life. They deserve to be happy without thinking about "grown-up things", like making sure they are warm when playing outside on the playground. As the weather is getting colder, I am noticing very few of my students come to school with a coat on, much less a hat and gloves. They are unable to enjoy their play time, simply because they are too cold.These materials would help me provide students with hats and gloves to keep them warm while at school. You will also be providing additional sweatshirts for students with no jackets and chapstick to help with their dry lips through the winter. No child should go without the basic necessities and by providing these items for my students, you will be giving them back the joy of recess!”

If only you could see all the wonderful smiles under the masks of my students! When I told them that someone donated hats and gloves to our classroom they were ecstatic! I let each of them pick out their own and you would have thought it was Christmas morning. For the first time in a long time, nobody came up to me at recess, begging me to go inside because they were cold. They simply got to enjoy playing! My students truly appreciate having their own pair of gloves and hat to wear to recess, especially on cold days like today. Because of your generosity, my students are able to be warm and play as kids. Not to mention, they look adorable doing it. Thank you so much!

With gratitude,

Ms. Beaulieu

Although words such as “remote learning” and “distance learning” have been an undeniable part of the national conversation the last couple of years, the heart of every classroom is still the connection between a teacher and their students. With the right tools and resources, that connection can remain infinitely stronger than the wifi networks powering your virtual classroom.

When you’re in a pinch and need remote learning tools to support student learning, we’ve got your back. Over 400 teachers from the DonorsChoose community shared their feedback and tips for the most popular programs enabling their students to learn from home. Here’s what teachers across the country had to say:

Teachers Review BrainPOP

What is it? “BrainPop is a virtual library designed to assist teachers in exposing students to content in all subject areas: science, social studies, mathematics, health, and so much more. BrainPop provides teachers with quizzes and additional activities that engage students and are motivating. BrainPop is a mini movie theatre that your students will constantly ask to visit!” – Ms. Pearson, 1st Grade

Recommended for: Kindergarten - 8th Grade students, though high school teachers note it can be a great review tool and early education teachers recommend BrainPOP Jr.

What DonorsChoose teachers are saying: “I absolutely love using Brainpop as a way to introduce a topic or at the start of a unit. The students get excited when they hear the “Beep Beep” sound that Moby makes when I start a video. The program also comes with many extras such as a short quiz, worksheets, etc. I use it as a whole group tool most of the time, but in this time of distance learning, it also allows you to use BrainPOP as an assignment. ” – Mr. Starken, 9th grade

Read the full BrainPOP for remote learning review, then get a basic BrainPOP subscription through DonorsChoose vendor AKJ Education. Get started on a project today.

Teachers Review BreakoutEDU

What is it? “This tool is a platform to access standards based "escape rooms" for all grade levels and content areas - plus some just for team building and seasonal fun!  There are games that you can play with a kit - but there are also many digital versions.” – Mrs. Vedros, 8th and 11th Grade

Recommended for: Teachers recommend Breakout EDU for everyone! Breakout EDU includes content appropriate for all grade levels.

What DonorsChoose teachers are saying: “I highly recommend Breakout EDU! The students love the challenges and they're content and standard based. It is serving two or three purposes in one and the students are always engaged in it!” – Mrs. Dragoo, 6th Grade

Read the full Breakout EDU for remote learning review, then get a Breakout EDU subscription through DonorsChoose vendor AKJ Education. Get started on a project today.

Teachers Review Flocabulary

What is it? “Flocabulary is a platform that creates R&B/Hip-Hop songs that relate to tons of different concepts across all content areas. They are catchy and my students love to hear the songs that go along with each concept we learn.” Mr. French, 2nd and 3rd grade

Recommended for: Flocabulary has content available for all grade levels in a wide variety of subjects, but teachers mostly recommend it for grades two and up. From 3rd grade math to 10th grade English, teachers found creative ways to use Flocabulary in the classroom.

What DonorsChoose teachers are saying: “We were learning multiplication facts using the songs from Flocabulary. We were taking a facts quiz and my student was singing the song to remember the facts. He was so proud when he passed the test!” - Mrs. Knight, 5th grade math and science

Read the full Flocabulary teacher review, then get a Flocabulary subscription through DonorsChoose vendor AKJ Education. Get started on a project today.

Teachers Review Nearpod

What is it? “Nearpod is an interactive presentation tool that allows you to do it all in one place. You can teach using modeling, visuals, written information, 3D models, videos, and virtual trips. Then you have the opportunity to engage students with polls, quizzes, questions, and games. Everyone can participate, every time. You can make your own or choose from a full library of lessons. It's all in one spot.” – Miss DeLisa, 6th Grade

Recommended for: Teachers recommend Nearpod for all grades! For any lesson in which you would use a slideshow presentation, you can swap in Nearpod to get added engagement and real-time feedback.

What DonorsChoose teachers are saying: “Nearpod is a way to make presentations interactive. You can add games, matching, fill in the blank, quizzes, videos with questions, and more. It has taken my classes up a notch as the students are so much more engaged.” – Ms. Sloane, 7th-12th Grades

Read the full Nearpod for remote learning review, then get a Nearpod subscription through DonorsChoose vendor AKJ Education. Get started on a project today.

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You know what your students need. The DonorsChoose community is here to help you get it. 3 out of 4 schools in the U.S. have a public school teacher who’s used DonorsChoose - that’s over 1.8 million classroom project requests funded. Yours could be next. Start your project today.

Combating Educational Inequity Together 

At DonorsChoose, we are committed to combating racial and socioeconomic inequity in school funding. As part of our Equity Focus, we’re working with donors and partners to combat systemic racial and socioeconomic inequity, by bringing even more resources to Equity Focus Schools — schools where at least 50% of students are Black, Latino/a, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need.

To help us more strategically support teachers and students in Equity Focus Schools, we launched the Equity Accelerator Initiative (EAI) — a cohort of 54 district partners committed to providing equitable student access to the learning materials made available through DonorsChoose.

The Equity Acceleration Initiative 

EAI District Partners receive all of the benefits of the Partnership Program, including a district landing page, early notice of funding campaigns, and marketing and communications resources — and more. To provide even greater visibility into classroom needs, and the distribution of resources across their district, EAI District Partners also receive DonorsChoose equity insights to help district leaders provide additional support to Equity Focus Schools.

Using data reports to inform district purchasing decisions

District leaders are informing purchasing decisions by identifying trends in the resources teachers in Equity Focus Schools' request on DonorsChoose, and implementing the most impactful solutions in other classrooms to create meaningful learning opportunities.

Examples:

• From 2017 - 2018, projects requesting flexible seating jumped 670% on DonorsChoose. The boom in requests that year was an early sign of a larger movement to transform classrooms into collaborative and inclusive spaces for learning in districts all across the country. 
• In the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic, requests for social and emotional learning (SEL) resources tripled, with requests ranging from journals to yoga mats to teacher professional development. In August 2021, teachers posted 4x more requests for SEL resources than in a typical year, and those requests remain high. This consistent growth across our sites is indicative of educators’ interest in learning more ways to support their students' mental health and wellness needs.

Using data reports to foster a community of collaboration

Informed by their equity insights, leaders foster a community of collaboration in their districts by tapping teachers who've found success on DonorsChoose to lead professional development sessions for their peers. 

Example:

• If you spot certain schools in your district getting the most funding through DonorsChoose, you might tap their successful teachers to lead training with their peers across the district. Doing so provides an excellent professional development opportunity for the teacher leader. It also ensures that all teachers throughout EAI Districts know how to use DonorsChoose, fostering a culture of collaboration within the school community.  

In total, more than 750,000 of the students will benefit from this enhanced support through our Equity Acceleration Initiative. By partnering with DonorsChoose through this initiative, you'll have a national network of allies excited to help students in your community have the best learning experience possible.

Meet Our EAI Cohort Member Districts

See all of our EAI District Partners here, and learn more about how we partner with public school districts across the country.

"A Florida teacher is going to infinity and beyond for her students. Rhonda Ripperger, a STEM teacher at South Lake Elementary School in Titusville, Florida, gets kids excited for learning by teaching them about space. 'I just want them to realize that science is all around them,' Ripperger told 'Good Morning America.' 'Like everywhere they look in the real world, it's science. And so I just really want to instill that passion in them.'"

‍Read and watch the full story on goodmorningamerica.com.

"Internet fundraising pioneer DonorsChoose announced Tuesday that the head of another crowdfunding powerhouse will succeed its founding CEO, Charles Best, who announced in April that he would be stepping down.Alix Guerrier, CEO of GlobalGiving, which raises money for international relief projects with a focus on local charities, will take the reins of DonorsChoose in March. Best will remain on the board of DonorsChoose. The two organizations combined have raised nearly $2 billion from donors, and they share a lot of the same DNA. In particular, both take a far more hands-on approach than many of their crowdfunding peers in vetting the recipients of donors’ generosity." Read the full story on philanthropy.com.

One look at his resume, and you might assume Alix Guerrier has been preparing to be CEO of DonorsChoose for the last 20 years. First a teacher, then an education consultant, followed by several years as co-founder of the powerhouse curriculum platform LearnZillion, and most recently the CEO of nonprofit funding site GlobalGiving, Alix will step into his next role as CEO of DonorsChoose in spring of 2022. 

Alix and DonorsChoose founder Charles Best shared the news in a video message to the DonorsChoose community.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy also shared the news in this article (free account required), noting how DonorsChoose and GlobalGiving are leading the charge in making crowdfunding more equitable and transparent.

We look forward to introducing Alix to our teachers, donors, partners, and supporters towards the end of this school year, as he transitions into the role.

Want to send a friendly hello to Alix? Leave a comment on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts!